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So I'm fairly obsessed with the idea of making creme de cacao, but every recipe I've come across uses "liquid chocolate" or some other such dubious ingredient. Does anyone have a recipe with a bit more, uh, integrity? Would love to start from cacao nibs (raw or roasted- or a combo?). Also, wondering if there is a way to incorporate some of the fat from the bean in an emulsification. Thank you!

Curious; is there more than one Japanese cocktail? Btw, I assume the separation is due to the fat in the emulsion. This is also my problem with "emergency orgeat" (although I have not made it); the almond oil is part of the syrup, and I have yet to find a full-fat commercial almond milk. Common products like Torani don't louche the way homemade stuff does. I assumed it was because they are essentially thickened sugar syrups flavored with extracts and do not have any fat in them. Does anyone know if the "emergency" stuff louches?

The other day I opened a half-full bottle of an earlier batch of my orgeat that had been in my fridge for months. There was some gas build-up and it smelled like it had begun to re-ferment. I think it stayed good for at least 4 months, though. Especially if there was little headspace in the bottle, my guess is it would keep refrigerated for quite a while. I'm not really familiar with why this re-fermentation occurs. Can anyone explain it?

Hi Johnder, We met last night, and yes, the orgeat was mine. For everyone else, I'm sorry that I don't have an exact recipe. I make small adjustments every time I make a batch. Right now, I'd say that this would give you something delicious and along the lines of what I've been doing: [This is drawn from both The Art of Drink and The Bon-Vivant's Companion] 1 lb blanched almonds 1 oz blanched apricot kernels (you'll probably have to blanch them yourself) 3 cups water about 1 1/2 lbs organic unrefined sugar 1/2 cup Cognac 2 tsp orange flower water Place the almonds and apricot kernels in a bowl, rinse, then cover with cold water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and discard this water, then grind in a food processor until fine. Stop and stir occasionally so the pieces on the bottom don't turn to butter. Transfer to a large bowl and add the water; let stand for one to two hours. Press through a chinois, extracting as much liquid as you can from the pulp. Put the nut meat back into the almond water, let it stand for another hour and then strain again. Repeat a third time. This time, press scoops of pulp through a moistened cloth to extract fully as much liquid as you can. Discard the solids. Pour the strained liquid into a pan and add the sugar. You want a little less sugar by volume than the amount of liquid, so judge how much you add based on how much liquid you ultimately end up with. Place over medium heat, and stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Boil without stirring (swirling is okay) until the liquid reaches the "syrup" stage, 230°–235°F. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the cognac and orange flower water. Store the orgeat in a clean glass bottle in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

I've been making orgeat for the bar I work at for some time now. I've made the recipe from The Art of Drink, and one from The Bon Vivant's Companion (even clarifying raw sugar with egg white- totally unnecessary, but interesting) and now use one which draws on both. I use apricot kernels (in a smaller proportion than BVC) to give it that marzipan flavor, and I boil it to a syrup for stability and viscosity, rather than just heating it enough to dissolve the sugar, like AofD. I do add cognac and orange-flower water at the end, although I find the amount of orange-flower water in the AofD recipe to be too overpowering. I keep it in the fridge and it lasts for weeks. A recipe I like: 1 oz cognac 3/4 oz orgeat 1/4 oz pastis (I like Ricard) Stir together in a collins glass. Add ice, fill with seltzer, and stir once. It's kind of an extension of a momisette, but in proportions that allow the orgeat to shine and not be overpowered by the pastis.